MARLO CORDELL TARGETS BEST SEASON YET AFTER EXCELR8 SWITCH
Marlo Cordell has his sights fixed on fighting for the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE title after confirming his return to the JCW grid for the 2025 campaign.
The 21-year-old will join forces with multiple champions EXCELR8 for what will be his third season in the highly-competitive one-make series.
Cordell joined the grid for the first time in 2023 having previously competed in the BRSCC Fiesta Championship, where he showed his potential with a number of front-running performances.
Initially running in the ST150 category in 2021, Cordell battled his way to third in class despite not taking part in the opening two meetings of the season, taking six podium finishes along the way.
Cordell then returned to the series for a full season assault in 2022 having moved up into the headline ST240 class, taking best finish of second during the final race of the year at Brands Hatch as he wrapped up eighth in the standings.
On the back of his performances in the Fiesta series, Cordell moved up into the MINI CHALLENGE for the first time in 2023, twice qualifying inside the top six and taking a best result of fifth during his rookie campaign.
Cordell would again show his potential in his second season on the grid, most notably during round two at Brands Hatch where he battled his way to a brace of top three finishes – breaking onto the MINI CHALLENGE podium for the first time.
Another podium finish arrived in the final meeting of the campaign on the longer Brands Hatch GP layout although various incidents outside his control throughout the season left him in an unrepresentative eleventh in the standings.
Having now teamed up with EXCELR8, Cordell will seek to regularly push for podium finishes during the year ahead, with the ultimate goal being to make it onto the top step and help the team to once again fight for title honours.
Marlo Cordell said:
“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining EXCELR8 for the 2025 season. This represents an exciting step forward in my career, aligning myself with a team that has consistently proven its ability to compete at the highest level — not only in the MINI CHALLENGE, but also in the BTCC.
“EXCELR8 is, without question, one of the most prestigious outfits in the MINI CHALLENGE paddock, and their heritage and championship wins speak for themselves. From my very first discussions and negotiations with Justina, I was welcomed into a highly professional and encouraging environment, and the team has gone above and beyond to ensure as smooth and positive of a transition as possible.
“I’m genuinely looking forward to the season ahead and can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together. I also have to say a huge thank you to my sponsors for making this move possible and can’t wait to get started.”
Justina Williams, EXCELR8 Team Owner, said:
“We’re very pleased to welcome Marlo to our JCW line-up for the new season and are excited to see what we can achieve together.
Over the past two seasons, Marlo has shown he has certainly has the pace to run towards the front of the field and we look forward to helping him do that on a consistent basis during the year ahead.”
